Polk County, Nebraska

Polk County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Osceola
Year Organized: 1856
Square Miles: 439

Court House:

P. O. Box 276
County Courthouse
Osceola, NE 68651-0276

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Namedafter the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

Members of the Territorial Legislature established a series of county boundaries along the Platte River on Jan. 26, 1856. At the time Polk County was part of a larger Butler County. Fourteen years later, a special election resulted in the creation of the present day Polk County, named after the 11th president of the United States, James Knox Polk.

When the county was organized in 1870, there was no county seat or courthouse. Each county official who had been elected at an August election conducted county business from his residence.

In October 1871, county residents voted to make the settlement of Osceola the county seat. County commissioners approved the construction of a frame courthouse and took possession of the building when it was completed in 1872. Unfortunately, the courthouse was destroyed by fire nine years later and many of the county's documents were lost.

One year after the destructive fire, a new courthouse was opened. The brick building, which cost $10,000, became a source of pride for county residents. With the publicity the courthouse received when it opened in 1882, it was soon being visited by people from outside the county. In fact, an excursion train was run from David City in neighboring Butler County to bring visitors to see the new building.

As the 20th century began, like so many other counties in the state, Polk County found itself outgrowing its courthouse. So in 1922 the present courthouse was constructed. The three-story building was an architectural landmark. Around a steel reinforced frame was built a modern renaissance exterior that featured terra cotta trim. The interior of the building was highlighted with marble stairs and wainscoting.

Polk County was developed as an agricultural area. Despite severe storms, blizzards and an infestation of grasshoppers in the 1870s and 1880s, those who made a living off the land persevered. That same hearty spirit is prevalent today as the county's economy is based primarily on family farming and livestock production.

Neighboring Counties:

Insert Counties Here

Cities and Towns:

- Osceola (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Polk	village	Incorporated Area
- Shelby	village	Incorporated Area
- Stromsburg	city	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."